Von Schrenck's Bittern

Von Schrenck's Bittern (Ixobrychus eurhythmus) is a small, secretive heron of the family Ardeidae, named in honor of the German naturalist Leopold von Schrenck who explored the Amur region of the Russian Far East in the nineteenth century. Adult males are distinctive within the genus, displaying rich chestnut-brown upperparts with a strongly contrasting, dark purplish-brown crown and nape, and pale buff to whitish underparts with dark brown streaking along the center of the throat and breast. Females and immatures are more heavily streaked brown above and below. Total length is 36–39 cm.

The species breeds in East Asia, including Ussuriland in the Russian Far East, northeastern China, Korea, Japan, and locally in eastern China. It winters in South and Southeast Asia from the Indian subcontinent through Bangladesh, Myanmar, Thailand, and the Greater Sunda Islands. During migration it passes through much of eastern China and other parts of East Asia. It is considered a fairly rare and often overlooked migrant in parts of its range.

Breeding habitat consists primarily of freshwater marshes, reedbeds, wet meadows, and paddy fields. Wintering birds occupy similar wetland habitats in tropical and subtropical Asia. Like other Ixobrychus bitterns, this species is adept at climbing through vertical reed and grass stems using its elongate, widely spread toes, allowing it to exploit the interior of dense marsh vegetation. It rarely ventures into open water or exposed positions.

Feed primarily on small fish, frogs, aquatic insects, and other invertebrates. Foraging occurs at dawn and dusk in the characteristic bittern manner, with the bird standing motionless at the edge of cover and striking at prey in the water or at the surface. The nest is a small platform of plant stems built over water in reeds or low shrubs. The species is solitary and cryptic, and is infrequently recorded owing to its secretive behavior.

Von Schrenck's Bittern is listed as Least Concern by the IUCN but is considered vulnerable to wetland loss and degradation of reedbeds across its breeding range in East Asia.